In view of the start of the peak season , a trucking unit took an average of 8.8 decimal hours last June to collect imported merchandise from the main ports in Mexico, which meant an increase of 10.7% with respect to the time recorded a month earlier, according to the Average Trucking Time Index in Ports (ITPAP) , carried out by T21 Business Intelligence.
The ITPAP was largely driven by the time recorded in Manzanillo, Colima, which averaged 12.8 decimal hours in the month under analysis (converted this way for comparison). This data reflects the operational crisis following the blockades imposed by customs officials in mid-May, which profoundly affected commercial activities at the port.
Manzanillo’s 12.8 decimal hours in June this year were 10.34% higher than the average time for May (11.6 hours).
Manzanillo is the busiest port in Mexico for container handling. Its connection to maritime routes with the Asian region makes it a key hub for the shipment and entry of goods. In the first half of this year alone, it received a total of 837,062 20-foot containers (TEUs) of imports , 1.4% more than the same period a year earlier, according to official data from the Mexican port authority.
The ITPAP (Tax and Logistics Information System) gathers monthly information provided by trucking companies and GPS vehicle tracking companies; it focuses on the average time tractor-trailers remain in operation, broken down into three critical categories during the cargo collection process: waiting, maneuvering, and customs.
For the June 2025 registry, the ITPAP used as a reference the data of 2,653 motor transport movements in the analyzed ports (Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas, Veracruz and Altamira) , the busiest in Mexico, a significant sample with respect to the number of entries reported by the ports and with which it seeks to show the current situation of these maritime connection centers.
In this sense, the average time in Manzanillo was divided into 6.3 hours in customs, 3.8 hours waiting and 2.8 hours in maneuvers .
During his participation in the most recent virtual program “Origin and Destination ,” Héctor Venancio, general director of the Port Community of Manzanillo (Copoma) , listed the actions that have been implemented at the port to improve operations following the blockages in May.
He mentioned, for example, the implementation of X-ray machines during customs inspections ; the arrival of new customs operational personnel; the simplification of customs processes; and the automation of cranes at the various terminals, among others.
In the case of the other ports analyzed, average times also increased, with the exception of Altamira .
The port of Veracruz recorded an average time of 7.2 decimal hours last June, 7.2% higher than the previous month; Altamira , with 6.3 hours, showed a 5.9% reduction in time, according to the comparison months.
Meanwhile, the port of Lázaro Cárdenas , the second busiest in the Mexican Pacific, had an average record of 8.8 decimal hours, with a variation of 14.3 percent.
Understanding these figures takes on special relevance in Mexico’s current macroeconomic context, where logistics competitiveness is a determining factor for foreign trade growth and investment attraction.
Port dwell time directly impacts the sector’s productivity and, consequently, the country’s ability to meet global market demand . This indicator not only facilitates strategic decision-making for carriers and logistics operators, but also provides valuable input for designing public policies that boost the efficiency of Mexican ports.
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